A lot has been said recently on this list about direct peer-to-peer ebXML
via an appliance or a shrink-wrap software package. However I do not
believe that such an implementation of ebXML capabilities is necessarily the
best approach for SME's or at least for all SME's who could derive value
from ebXML. In my view they would benefit from an always-on intermediary
that accepts (and maybe sends) messages on their behalf. Moreover, such
intermediary could be more than a simple store-and-forward service,
providing document transformation/translation (OAGIS PO to UBL PO),
generation (composing SO from PO) and export in the formats suitable for the
common accounting packages. Coding more logic into this service provider
would enable incrementally greater value: the service can actually be the
endpoint of some interactions, responding to incoming business documents
either automatically or with input from the user. It would still
synchronize offline systems with relevant data either online (when a
connection is available) or offline through document export.
Some of this intermediary's functionality is complementary to the ebXML
appliance concept.
Daniel